Painful Video Shows Why the Forest Service Is Closing This Part of a California Mountain for a Year With Violators Facing Thousands in Fines

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A 19-year-old woman had to be rescued from Eaton Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains Wednesday after she lost her footing while hiking with friends and skidded down the rocky face.

The painful tumble a short distance down the mountain outside of Los Angeles and San Bernardino, California, was caught on camera by a friend who was filming below, KCBS-TV reported. The woman yelled in pain and fear as her exposed legs took the brunt of the sharp rocks before a small tree stopped her from going further.

The woman’s condition after falling down the rocking mountain face is unknown. She waited for rescue at a small tree that stopped her fall. (Image source: KCBS-TV)

The woman was rescued by a helicopter crew. As of Friday, the mountain face where she was climbing was closed and will remain so for a year due to previous accidents and deaths. (Image source: KCBS-TV)

Watch the footage of the woman’s fall and helicopter rescue courtesy of KCBS:

The news station also reported that due to recent injuries and even deaths in this area, part of the mountain known as the Upper Falls would be closed starting Friday. The order, announced last month, is in effect until July 31, 2015. Any individual caught in the area faces a fine up to $5,000 while an organization could be charged up to $10,000. Violators could also face up to six months in prison, according to the National Forest Service.

Watch this public service announcement issued from the forest service about the dangers in the Eaton Canyon area a couple of years ago:

“The truth is, there is no safe trail to the second waterfall,” one of the officials said in the video.

“Don’t try it. It’s not worth losing your life,” another said.

Experienced canyoneers though argue that they still want access to the falls.

“We appreciate that inexperienced hikers are having serious accidents and deaths. We want to try to brainstorm how to help with that, and at the same time maintain access for technical canyoneers who are experienced,” Sonny Lawrence, a board member for the Coalition of the American Canyoneers, told KTLA-TV.